King Crimson Kccc 28 Live In Warsaw 2000

Released in December 1970, King Crimson's third studio album, Lizard, is often viewed as an outlier in the pioneering British prog outfit's nearly half-century discography. It's not easily grouped with 1969's stunning In the Court of the Crimson King debut and 1970 follow-up In the Wake of Poseidon, and along with 1971's Islands it's considered a transitional release on the band's path toward the relative stability of the Larks' Tongues in Aspic (1973), Starless and Bible Black (1974), and Red (1974) trilogy. Plus, the Lizard sessions were difficult and the core group lineup acrimoniously collapsed immediately afterward, as bandleader/guitarist Robert Fripp, with lyricist Peter Sinfield, continued brave efforts to save King Crimson from disintegrating as the group's lengthy history was just getting underway…

King Crimson opened 1970 scarcely in existence as a band, having lost two key members (Ian McDonald and Michael Giles), with a third (Greg Lake) about to leave. Their second album - largely composed of Robert Fripp's songwriting and material salvaged from their stage repertory ("Pictures of a City" and "The Devil's Triangle") - is actually better produced and better sounding than their first. Surprisingly, Fripp's guitar is not the dominant instrument here: The Mellotron, taken over by Fripp after McDonald's departure - and played even better than before - still remains the band's signature. The record doesn't tread enough new ground to precisely rival In the Court of the Crimson King. Fripp, however, has made an impressive show of transmuting material that worked on stage ("Mars" aka "The Devil's Triangle") into viable studio creations, and "Cadence and Cascade" may be the prettiest song the group ever cut…

Recorded between the band’s numerous live dates, Islands continues King Crimson’s penchant for mixing contrasting styles and dynamics; from the gothic melodrama of The Letters, the warm laid-back musings of Formentera Lady, the stately chamber orchestra setting of Song Of The Gulls, through to the raucously skewed blues of Ladies Of The Road and the yearning, poignant title track. The stand-out however, is Sailor’s Tale which breaks with the symphonic and jazz-inspired leanings of their previous albums. Propelled by Ian Wallace’s insistent cymbal and Mel Collins’ acerbic sax break, it also introduces a spikier, fractious metal-edged guitar sound that ultimately points the way towards Larks’ Tongues In Aspic. Originally released at the end of 1971, Islands also marks the end of lyricist Peter Sinfield’s tenure in the group…

This audio-only companion to the Eyes Wide Open double-DVD package features King Crimson performing at Kouseinenkin Hall in Tokyo, Japan, on April 16, 2003. The quartet of Adrian Belew (guitar/vocals), Robert Fripp (guitar), Trey Gunn (Warr guitar/fretless Warr guitar), and Pat Mastelotto (drum traps/buttons) is a neo-progressive and practically industrial-sounding force to be reckoned with, emerging from the fraKctionalization of the double-trio version of the group - which also included contributions from Bill Bruford (percussion) and Tony Levin (bass/Chapman stick). Now pared down to its essence, the band is leaner and able to effortlessly maneuver through some of the most challenging material to bear the King Crimson moniker…

Retailing at around $90 for less than three hours of music, this Japanese import seems designed to test the most die-hard King Crimson fan. That's not the half of it, because the truth is, it's also a very good set, up to a point. The most notable element here is the presence of the first decent body of concert work by the early 1972 lineup of Boz Burrell-Mel Collins-Ian Wallace, which was the band that most fans ever got to see, among all of the early incarnations of the group. Add on the presence of a killer early performance by the John Wetton-Bill Bruford band, and one of the earlier extant shows of the group's original lineup, from the Marquee Club, and the package seems unbeatable - and pretty much, it is. Disc one contains a July 1969 Marquee Club show, made off of an audience tape…

Video contains Europe 2000 - The Bootleg TV tour, which features around 10 hours of audio/video mostly never seen/heard since the concerts with versions of selected songs and improvs (usually two per night of each) from almost every show. Includes footage and music from 20 performances.

Deluxe box set containing 21 CDs, four Blu-rays and two DVDs - all audio. Three CDs feature Steven Wilson and Robert Fripp stereo mixes of In The Wake Of Poseidon (1970), Lizard (1970) & Islands (1971) + additional tracks. Six CDs feature the Islands line-ups early concerts from Germany (new to CD) and the UK (1971). Nine CDs feature live recordings (several new to CD and/or previously unreleased in any format) from the 1972 US tour, including a new stereo mix of Summit Studios and an expanded Earthbound…

Featuring fresh perspectives on classic material recorded during a tour that took place despite almost insurmountable issues, Music Is Our Friend is an official bootleg featuring all of King Crimson’s stunning final performance in North America at Washington DC in September, 2021 plus four pieces from KC’s intimate 'Friends and Family' first concert of the tour’s second leg in Albany.

A 16 disc limited edition box set featuring studio and live recordings - many previously unreleased - from King Crimson's mid-1990s double trio line-up…